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Rancher Bundy’s entitlement attitude, victim mentality wear thin

FROM OUR READERS

To the editor:

Enough already with the coverage of the thief of 20 years who grazed his cattle on our public lands, stealing public resources. Stop trying to paint Cliven Bundy as some hero with your fanciful stories, like he is being oppressed by the big bad government.

Where does Mr. Bundy get his entitlement attitude, thinking that he can milk the public for free and then claim to be a victim?

MICHAEL T. BARR

LAS VEGAS

Hardy and Bundy

To the editor:

I read about Assemblyman Cresent Hardy’s appearance at a rally supporting Cliven Bundy, and the legislator’s statements condemning the federal, state and local governments. Assemblyman Hardy says that the Bundy fiasco is about rights and freedoms, but his anti-government stance tells the real truth.

Mr. Bundy’s rights do not trump everyone else’s rights. If it really was about rights and freedoms, I would be the first one standing beside him. But it is not, and Assemblyman Hardy knows it. Mr. Bundy broke the law and has to pay up. It is not about rights and freedoms, but about a lawbreaker, like any other thief who steals from the rest of us.

Yet in this case, it’s not about Mr. Bundy, but about Assemblyman Hardy. As a legislator, he’s had my vote all along, but then his history shows support only of his own special-interest group and those who had some anti-government rant. He never did one thing in the legislature for Mesquite. In fact, his overcharging for land sold to the water district makes me question his honesty, quite frankly.

I put my life on the line many times, in the military and as a law enforcement officer and supervisor for more than 30 years. For the assemblyman to condemn the law enforcement action forced on the Bureau of Land Management because of his support for the deranged and preposterous antics of one of his anti-government co-conspirators reveals his contempt for the rest of us. Throughout my career, I have faced many dangerous situations with the Bundys of the world, and it is always the same — just another liar, cheat, lawbreaker or demented person claiming it’s about rights and freedoms that he wants for himself while taking them away from the rest of us.

Mr. Hardy, you are disingenuous and underhanded. For you to condemn the men and women thrust into this drama is cowardly. Those people out there got an assignment from their superiors and are doing their job. You, Mr. Hardy, are the government — you the legislator, you the assemblyman, you the politician. The problem isn’t that other government; the problem is you.

If you want to only represent one slice of our society, just man up and say so. You, sir, have lost my vote.

JOHN TAYLOR

MESQUITE

Misuse of funds

To the editor:

Now let me see if I have this right. The federal government is spending millions of dollars forcefully removing a few hundred head of cattle grazing on 600,000 open-range acres, yet not doing any harm. However, the same federal government refuses to remove 15 million immigrants who crossed our borders illegally and who are adding to the economic demise of our country. Many of those immigrants do not pay taxes but use a multitude of government services, and thus are doing harm.

The federal government is bullying and using brute force against a Nevada rancher whose family’s cattle have grazed on this land for 150 years and who paid fees to the state of Nevada but might not have paid them to the federal government. However, this same federal government is not doing anything to a prominent New York City reverend — Al Sharpton — who for years has owed $2 million in back taxes to the federal government. Is it me, or are the inmates running the asylum?

DOLORES MESSNER

HENDERSON

Misplaced priorities

To the editor:

There’s plenty of money, manpower and firepower to catch cows, but not one penny to protect U.S. embassy personnel. What a shame.

FRAN GARDBERG

HENDERSON

Put Bundy in jail

To the editor:

Cliven Bundy and his fellow ranchers, supported by all the militia nut jobs in our country, are the only few that actually support the argument of states’ ownership of all federal lands in the west. These are very self-serving views supporting their own cattle grazing businesses.

As I understand it, Mr. Bundy has ignored several federal court orders to remove his cattle from these lands and has not paid grazing fees to the federal government for more than 20 years. I believe the Bureau of Land Management and federal courts have been more than tolerant in dealing with Mr. Bundy. He is just a hard-headed old man who believes it is his way or the highway. I believe he belongs in jail.

To those of you dumping on the BLM for its enforcement action, I would like to know: How would you deal with Mr. Bundy and his crazy followers, who are totally ignoring the law?

MICHAEL KELLY

LAS VEGAS

Late-night TV and minorities

To the editor:

Congratulations to CBS for landing Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman. Now there’s another pasty white guy to join Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel on the major television network late-night shows. To the leadership at ABC, CBS and NBC, I say: Where’s the black guy? Where’s the Hispanic guy? Look in your mirror to find racism.

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